Drop Dead Diva: Bad Girls & Freeze the Day by Kara Howland

Sorry I didn’t get this up right away. I worked the Emmy red carpet yesterday and I was too exhausted to watch any TV. But I’m here now and I’ve got opinions!

Wow. My first opinion is that the past two hours are the best two hours of the show I’ve ever seen. Hands down. This is the kind of writing and acting I want to see on this show every week. I’m not saying I don’t already love this show because I do. But I think these last two episodes really showcased how amazing this show can be.

Let’s do the highlights then explore deeper. Parker’s former bedmate and current partner Claire Harrison returns to the firm after an eight-year absence. She left the firm to get married after she fell in love and now she’s back to get a divorce and to start practicing law again. She fakes evidence and fires Kim, who breaks up with Parker. Grayson meets the parents and admits that he’s scared of a future with Vanessa. She appreciates the honesty but breaks up with him. Grayson doesn’t want to lose another important woman in his life so he proposes. Fred asks Stacy out on another date but Stacy is afraid that they’ll burn out quickly if they start out too hot and heavy. Worried that he doesn’t care, Stacy makes him jealous until he admits how much he does care. Jane, once again resolving to tell Grayson who she really is, picks the time and place and even daydreams about their wedding. But before she can tell Grayson anything he asks Jane to be his best man. Upset, Jane runs out of the restaurant and when Grayson follows after her he’s hit by a car. When he regains consciousness momentarily, Grayson calls her Deb.

I’m leaving out a lot of details on purpose because I want to talk about relationships much more then the actual details of all the cases. Let’s start with Kim and Parker. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I really enjoy this relationship. When it started I was very nervous. It’s always a tricky proposition to be involved with the boss and I was worried Kim’s reputation and the work environment would be negatively affected. But they’ve seemed to make it work and I like that Parker is different with her. He really cares about her and was striving to make it seem like he had no bias. And I think he was succeeding. Should he have told Kim about the kiss? Absolutely but I don’t think he had a hidden agenda in keeping it from Kim. I think he was scared to tell her. He’s scared to mess up this great thing he’s got going. But silence can be the death of something. Even though Kim and Parker are apart now I don’t think it will be a permanent separation.

Fred and Stacy. They are adorable. I’m so happy Stacy decided to give Fred a chance. And I really like the way their relationship is progressing. I love that he’s jealous and even though Terri tries to get Fred to be Zen about it all he can’t fake it. He’s jealous. But that’s what Stacy wants. She’s not used to guys like Fred. She probably hasn’t had someone who cares about her like this for a long time. And she’s insecure too. She’s worried that Fred doesn’t care. But I think these two crazy kids will make it and in the meantime it’s fun watching their relationship evolve.

Jane and Grayson. Where to start. Even Grayson admits that they have a connection, which is why he asks Jane to stand up for him at his wedding. What I think is the most confounding thing about their relationship (aside from the fact that Deb inhabits Jane’s body and can't tell him) is that Jane always manages to talk Grayson into something without knowing what she’s doing. Every time she gives Grayson a speech it seems to send him running into the arms of another woman. Jane thinks she’s making a case for herself but she never is. Grayson always takes her little pearls of wisdom and applies them to his other relationships. But how would he know? Jane can’t tell him she’s Deb so he has to believe they’re forging a friendship and nothing else. And Jane is pretty good at hiding her feelings by now. I’m sure these soul mates will get together one day but I’m assuming there will be at least one more season of the whole will-they-or-won’t-they thing. If it’s too easy for these two to get together, I guess a lot of people would lose interest. Not me. But I guess that’s what they’re thinking. And by them I mean the writers and the network.

Ok. Now I’m ready to talk about the cases. Well, I really want to talk about Gail O’Grady and Gloria Reuben. It is so nice to see both of them on the small screen again. Gail is very convincing as a cyber bully. I feel so sorry for her daughter. Can you imagine growing up with a mother like that? She let her own child take the blame for something she did. That’s some bad parenting. And Gloria Reuben. I’m sure she’s worked since ER, but that was the last show I saw her on and I loved her character. Here she plays a woman who can’t imagine life without her husband. The irony is that her research could help bring him back. I’m glad Grayson and Jane convince her to continue to live her life. She's got to be awake to make that discovery.

Terri and Stacy are awesome as always. I know I’m not giving them their due here, but I can’t even imagine this show without them. They are great comic relief and have also shown us some great dramatic work.

And I have to mention both the opening song and dance number, which I found highly enjoyable. Actually, I like it every time there is song and dance. It makes me smile. And an honorable mention goes out to Paula Abdul. I like her on this show.

What did you think? Will Grayson be ok? Will Kim and Parker get back together? Did Fred know Grayson was going to get hit by that car? I hope to find out on the next season of Drop Dead Diva.

Drop Dead Diva Extra

Hi all. I'm pretty excited for Sunday's two-hour finale and I'm thinking you are too. As you may or may not know Drop Dead Diva hasn't been picked up for another season yet. Check out this message from series creator Josh Berman and show them some facebook love.

Drop Dead Diva: Good Grief by Kara Howland

I don’t watch The Bachelor but I do have an opinion about Jake Pavelka: he’s not a very good actor. He’s easy on the eyes though.

Jake makes a cameo appearance as a guy named Toby. A show called The One, with an eerily similar premise to that of The Bachelor, has just made one of the bachelorettes into a public laughing stock. She’s known as Weeping Wendy. She’s suing the show’s producer because she’s been humiliated. Even though she signed a release form, the judge will allow the jury to decide if the show caused her intentional infliction of emotional harm. The most interesting thing about this case, at least for me, is how it affects Kim and Parker’s relationship. But first a quick question: Is this the first time we’ve seen Parker in court? I’m trying to remember. I do like seeing him there, it just feels new and maybe a bit weird. Ok, back to Kim and Parker. She has every right to be wary of his romantic baggage. He’s the love ‘em and don’t ever talk to ‘em again when it’s over type. When he’s in a relationship he’s in 100%. When it’s over, he’s gone. All’s well that ends well though – at least for the case. The producer is in love with Wendy and urged Toby to pick the other girl. He knew Toby was all about launching his career while Wendy was all about finding true love. They end up going out to dinner to see if there’s something there.

Speaking of true love, Jane takes a case that doesn’t please Parker. Her client is dressing up as a clown even though his job is in corporate sales. His wife died about six months ago and that’s when the costume and makeup made its first appearance. The day before Evan’s wife died they spent time together and both got a kick out of a clown that made fun of her. Dressing up makes Evan feel close to his wife. The only problem is that people at his company are uncomfortable and when Evan uses his horn to answer a question in court, the judge holds him in contempt. With Grayson as Jane’s co-counsel she’s getting insight into how Grayson dealt with Deb’s death. He too was on a downward spiral until he realized Deb wouldn’t like the man he was becoming. Jane pulls out that piece of wisdom for Evan and helps him take his makeup off when Evan realizes what he’s doing. And as a bonus he gets his job back. I think it was a shame to put Barry Watson in all that makeup. But at least Jane and Grayson got to bond a bit.

Stacy likes Fred. Well, it’s about time. Jane suspects Stacy might have feelings for Fred when she wipes off her zit cream before he can see it. And later when Fred invites Stacy to dinner and she runs into an ex, Fred defends her honor. When Stacy kisses him, Fred realizes he might just be on a date with his dream girl. I like seeing these two crazy kids together. I’m excited to see where it goes now that Fred has a new “deal.”

Next week is the two-hour season finale and based on the previews it should be quite exciting. I won’t give anything away here but if you miss it you’ll be sorry. See you next week.

Drop Dead Diva: Will & Grayson by Kara Howland

I don’t know about you but I knew Jane would never date a married man – not the old Jane and certainly not the new Jane. I also had my suspicions about who ended things between Vanessa and Will. I’m glad the truth came to light.

Grayson and Vanessa. Let’s start there. I have to admit I’m already kinda bored with this relationship. I really like Jaime Ray Newman (in fact, I think she’s great on Eureka right now) but she isn’t doing anything for me here. But she is a great romantic foil. There has to be something or someone keeping Grayson and Jane apart and she’s a good enough excuse. Things were a bit more interesting when Kim was that romantic foil – although I’m really enjoying her relationship with Parker and how Jane is managing to get her little digs in about it this week– but I guess I can’t have everything I want.

Anyway, back to tonight’s episode. During the course of Grayson’s case, he discovers that Vanessa has an ex-fiancé Will Casey who also happens to be the defendant in his case. He is closing up shop and moving his factory down to Mexico. His competitor is essentially running him out of town. Grayson gets this case because Vanessa represents Will and it’s a conflict of interest. There are two interesting things that come out of this case (at least for me): a) Grayson learns that Vanessa lied to him about her relationship but also discovers why it ended and b) Grayson finds out a way to keep the company local and saves over 100 people from the unemployment line. Oh, I guess there’s one more thing we learn: c) Will is a pretty good guy. Grayson knows he doesn’t like to loose, but he’s willing to overlook that for the good of his employees. I do have a question though. If Grayson was able to find out how to save Will’s company, why wasn’t Will? It didn’t take Grayson that long to come up with a good solution. I’m just sayin’.

Jane and Todd. Although Todd’s wife Hope Prentiss believes Jane broke up her marriage, there’s not enough evidence to go on to believe this is the case. But since Jane only has Deb’s memories, there’s no way to know what really happened unless she can track Todd down and discover the truth. Since Hope has pictures of Jane and Tony emerging from a motel it shouldn’t be that hard. Jane and her trusty sidekick Jane go to the motel and find a pair of prescription sunglasses Todd must have left behind. Terri works her magic and Jane finds Todd, who is very surprised to see her. After she explains to him that she has no memories from before the shooting Todd tells her what was actually going on. He discovered some dirty cops in his division and he was working with Jane so she could bring the evidence to the D.A. But when Jane got shot, Todd felt he had to go on the run since the dirty cops were framing him.

Now that Jane really knows what’s going on it’s up to her to find the audio evidence, which Todd gave to her 8 months ago, and get Todd out of trouble. When she does discover the recording the judge won’t allow it in to evidence. They turn to Kim to help them. She goes undercover and gets one of the dirty cops to talk and she gets all of that on tape. And as easy as that, the charges against Todd are dismissed. Now, I don’t believe that any cop – even a dirty one – would be that careless even with a pretty woman. But, Jane’s client is back home with his family so all’s well that ends well.

Well, kinda. Fred and Stacy. So Stacy knows how Fred feels and I think she’s wisely choosing to play dumb. He notices that she’s watching a lot of old movies to “hone her craft” and decides to make a recruitment video for the firm and cast Stacy in the lead. It’s more than that though. Stacy lets it be known that she won’t be dating until she gets her career into gear and Fred just can’t have that. So they spend some time making the video and when Fred shows it to Kim it’s a bit of a disaster. I would call it porn, but it’s not nearly that bad. It’s just very obvious that Fred is in love with Stacy from the way he shot and cut the piece together. Kim promises it will never see the light of day but Fred gets a kiss on the check for his efforts. At least he’s scoring some points.

One random thought: I had no idea Jane was so bad at telling jokes. Terri referring to Jane’s inability to make jokes was funny but Jane actually telling that horrible joke and then laughing hysterically about it was pretty fun.

Another random thought: Watching Stacy practice being a lawyer – then slipping up and throwing medical terms into her speech – was pretty funny. She’s such great comic relief.

Only one more episode before the 2-hour season finale. I’m excited. How about you?

Drop Dead Diva: Last Year’s Model by Kara Howland

Parker unintentionally favors Kim at work, Stacy discovers how Fred feels about her, and Grayson thinks he sees the ghost of Deb.

Jane declares herself a rainmaker after a client, Charlotte Perkins, contacts her and asks for Jane to take on her the case. But there’s a problem. Parker is happy to take the case but he makes Kim first chair. When Jane cries foul and tells Parker she knows about their relationship, Parker has quite a good comeback. Out of any lawyer at the firm Kim has won the most employment-related cases. Jane doesn’t have a quick comeback for that. In fact, I was a little surprised she would throw Parker’s relationship with Kim in his face like that. I know she can sometimes be rash and speak before she thinks but he’s the managing partner. She might want to watch the way she speaks to him. If she wants to become a partner there, that is.

But, back to the case. Of course it’s our intrepid Jane who thinks of a strategy to win the case. At first, they decide to try it as a discrimination case. But when their client turns out to be in her 30s instead of her 50s, they reconsider their strategy briefly before deciding to proceed. After the judge dismisses the case, Jane refiles it as a sexual harassment case. And they get somewhere with that. Even though Clasky says a reasonable person wouldn’t find the work environment hostile, when Jane calls a reasonable person to the stand she helps Jane clench the win for her client.

In the meantime, Stacy is a bit delinquent on her credit card bill. Instead of sending money for the minimum payment due she buys a pair of deeply discounted Marc Jacobs shoes. Hoping to get her out of trouble, Fred offers to get her a quick and easy job. She’ll make $175. All Stacy needs to do is serve some divorce papers to Molly Hobbs. But it isn’t so easy. Molly is the picture of a young woman in love. She’s only been married for six weeks and she’s hard to give bad news too. So hard that Stacy can’t do it. And when Fred tries he doesn’t have any luck either. It’s only after meeting her husband that Fred realizes Molly will be better off without that jerk. Fred gives him a whole speech – basically telling him everything he loves about Stacey, which she overhears although Fred doesn’t realize that. When Mr. Hobbs says he wants to meet this person Fred knows these two don’t belong together. When Fred shows up again Molly admits to knowing everything. She just wanted to stick it to her husband. After Fred gives Stacy her money, she asks him out on a date. So cute. I’m glad Stacy knows about Fred’s feelings. Hopefully she’ll give him a chance.

Grayson takes on clients who think their house has been haunted. At first he thinks they’re playing a trick on him but he and Terri go to the house to check it out. Terri is freaked out and jumps at every creaky sound and flickering light. But Grayson is made a believer when he sees Deb. She asks how he is and asks if he’s seeing someone. And Grayson lies and says no. In court, the judge quickly dismisses the case even though Grayson admits – in open court, no less – that he saw a ghost in his client’s house. Grayson goes back to the house to talk to Deb and admits that he is seeing someone. And just then Vanessa shows up. She finds evidence of toxic mold and with that Grayson wins his case. When he goes to congratulate Jane on her win, he admits he saw Deb in the haunted house, which is a big surprise to Jane. Grayson admits to her that if he believed in ghosts he’d like to think Deb would find a way to stay close to him.

There was a lot of good stuff in tonight’s episode. I will have to admit to being cautiously optimistic about Kim and Parker. I like them together, despite my better judgment. I like that Kim threatened to end things with Parker if he gave her first chair on the case because they’d been sleeping together. I also like that she told Jane Grayson is still in love with his dead girlfriend. That’s got to give Jane just a little bit of hope. I’m wondering what it means that he saw Deb even though we know Deb’s spirit is in Jane’s body. I hope that explain that and soon.

I can’t believe there are only a few more episodes left before the finale. How’d we get here so fast? I do have a juicy little tidbit for you, which I found on tvguide.com. Don’t read it if you don’t want to know about the finale.

See you next week.

Drop Dead Diva: Queen of Mean by Kara Howland

I love Cybill Shepherd and I am so glad she had a meaty role. She plays a Queen of Mean, nicknamed CruEllie Deville. Her former assistant Dawn is publishing a tell-all book and Ellie wants to put a stop to it. This brings to mind a real life incident. As I’m sure a lot of you remember, Lauren Weisberger used to work for Anna Wintour. After she quit or was fired (I don’t really remember the details) she published a tell-all book in the form of a novel. If you didn’t read it, you may remember a little movie called The Devil Wears Prada. Now, I used to work in publishing and I’ve heard Ms. Wintour is tough. And after seeing The September Issue (put it in your netflix queue immediately if you have any interest in fashion) I don't dispute that. But I also think she’s a genius. Don’t get me wrong, I’d never want to work for her but I can certainly respect her.

And back to the case. When Jane gets the real story out of Dawn we learn that the only reason she went to work for Ellie in the first place is so that she could write a tell-all. And after Ellie publicly dumps Jane and drops the case, Jane discovers that Ellie wanted the publicity from the trial. She’s launching a discount line and suddenly she’s relevant again with the court case. When Ellie finds out Dawn is planning to expose her medical history she returns to Jane. And since the charges were never dismissed, the trial resumes. It turns out Dawn forged Ellie’s signature to get access to Ellie’s medical files. She knows that Ellie has a degenerative eye disease – she’s going blind – and Dawn is putting that in her book. The judge won’t prevent the book from being published but she awards Ellie’s damages that will prevent the publisher from printing it. And when Dawn threatens to write about it anyway, Jane reminds her that she could file charges with the D.A. to get Dawn thrown in jail for the forgery. Somehow, it doesn’t seem so worth it now.

In the meantime, Kim and Grayson have taken on a very tricky case. Their client Alison, the wonderful and talented Candis Cayne, is being sued by her spouse’s parents. Melanie died and her parents want all of Melanie’s things. Even though Alison was a man when she married Melanie, they have a problem since the state of California doesn’t recognize same sex unions. Since Kim has DNA evidence that Alison is still a man she wants to use that in court to win their case but Alison won’t allow it. Alison feels it negates all she went through and all she’s become. And even though the federal government and multinational corporations recognized their union, the state of California won’t.

Seeing that Grayson is distressed, Jane gives him the ammunition he needs to win the case and the judge rules in Alison’s favor. But the more important consequence of this case – at least for this show – is that Grayson sees that Alison and Melanie were soulmates. He recognizes that true love knows no boundaries. And just as Jane finds the courage to tell Grayson that she’s Deb, Fred interrupts. He tells her that if Grayson is her soulmate, he has to fall in love with her as Jane. She just needs to give him a chance.

I thought I’d save the most fun part of the show for last. You know what I’m talking about: The Thunder From Down Under. It’s funny because a few of my friends have been mentioning The Thunder From Down Under to me and I’ve been at a loss. I do remember them visiting The Ellen Degeneres Show (before she became an Idol judge and then I had to give it up because it seemed like she talked about Idol every freaking day; I’m so glad that chapter’s over). And what a welcome surprise they are in Jane’s dream. The not-so-welcome surprise is Hank, the bailiff who has a thing for old-Jane. Stacy somehow convinces Jane to invite Hank to a spontaneous dinner party. They are all pretty surprised when Hank shows up with Jasmine, his girlfriend. During the course of dinner Stacy and Hank do Pee Wee Herman impressions back and forth across the table but Stacy (thanks to a few too many drinks) lets it slip that Jane had a dream about Hank. The night ends rather abruptly after that. But I do have to side with Stacy here. She has the right intentions if not the right execution. It is time for Jane to start dating again. It’s no fun to watch her pine after Grayson (which, thank God, she didn't do this week) and even though I enjoyed her relationship with Tony immensely, it’s time to get back out there. I know I mentioned it before but I’m mentioning it again. I’d love to see her land a sexy older man. I hear Harry Hamlin might be available.

Lately there always seems to be a few things I don’t really enjoy about the show so I’ll get them off my chest here:

- Why is Mrs. Walters so hateful? I know there are people who can’t accept same sex couples. But just because she doesn’t seem to get what Alison and Melanie meant to each other doesn’t mean she has the right to be so spiteful. I know there would have been no case without her, but I didn’t like the way her character was written. And I’m sure I’m not alone when I saw Mr. Walter’s feeling were apparent from the first camera shot.
- Was I the only one who absolutely hated that Ellie Tannen scarf? I didn’t find it fashionable at all. I can’t image Angelina, or any high profile personality, wearing any of Ellie’s clothes.

Thoughts? Share them below.

Drop Dead Diva: A Mother’s Secret by Kara Howland

Kim discovers that Parker is jealous of Grayson, Jane inadvertently tells Grayson to keep pursuing Vanessa after a disastrous first date, and Deb’s mother Bobbie reveals that she has another daughter, a half-sister Deb never knew about.

Let’s start with Kim first. Sometimes (and I don’t know how) I forget what a b*tch Kim can be. But I think I’ve mentioned before I want my Kim cranky and mean or not at all. Fred handles her so well and gives her a kind of cosmic comeuppance when he steers a case her way. Although it’s not a “partnership material” case, Kim reluctantly takes it. She asks Grayson to second chair as she has no love for Barry, a chimp. Grayson, on the other hand, loves Animal Planet and gets the judge to consider treating Sonny like a human being instead of property. Even though Kim and Grayson give it their all – and Parker gets to talk to a reporter because of the notoriety of this case – they loose in the end. I cried when Mike had to say goodbye to Sonny and cheered when Mike’s ex said Sonny belongs with him. Very heartwarming.

Not so heartwarming is the grenade that lands in Jane’s lap this week. Not only does she have to treat her mother – her real mother – as an acquaintance but she learns Deb had a half-sister she never knew about. And, of course, that half sister is in jail. Not only has she been charged with stealing from the company but she’s got a prior narcotics charge on her record. In addition to all that, Samantha Colby – the half sister, wants no part of them. It’s only after Jane steps in to argue for her in court (when her public defender can’t or won’t) that Sam reluctantly accepts help. Bobbie, perhaps in an effort to make up for lost time, puts her house up for collateral to get the bail money for Sam.

And it looks like Bobbie might be on the road to losing her house when video evidence of Sam stealing the hard drive is presented in court. She hasn’t been telling Jane the entire truth. She did steal the hard drive but it was her idea to begin with. She wanted to use technology to make an everyday product better – in this case nail polish. It’s exciting because Sam has invented a nail polish that will change colors, a nail polish that can go from day to night after a simple flash of light. The CEO of the cosmetics company, who is in partnership with the lab where Sam works, inspired Sam to invent this product. He gave a speech to her class when she was still at school and with his help; Sam proves that it was her idea. The charges are dropped and Sam gets her job back with a big promotion. Afterwards, Sam and Bobbie ask Jane to come out to dinner to celebrate with them. It’s exactly what Jane needed.

The one thing that made my not-so-happy in this episode was the opposing counsel in Kim and Grayson’s case. She was way over-the-top. And I don’t blame the actress. I blame the writing. If she wasn’t written that way the actress wouldn’t have portrayed her that way. And she was beyond obnoxious. And I don’t have to have character like that cramming information down my throat that should or will make me sympathetic to Sonny’s plight. I’m already sympathetic. I was just disgusted with her. It almost ruined the whole storyline for me.

Random
- It was nice to see so many familiar faces in this week’s episode. And by that I mean Sharon Lawrence, Robins Givens, and Leelee Sobieski. I would have liked to see Robin Givens a little more and perhaps not playing such a nasty character but it’s nice to see her back on television.

- Chimps are the only animals besides human beings who make tools. They can also laugh.

- Fred thinks Brangelina is a high fiber cereal. Awesome.

Now that Grayson seems to be off the market again, this time with Vanessa, I’d like to see Jane make an attempt to wade back out into the dating pool. Tony is great but he’s in DC. And I don’t want to see her sitting around pining after Grayson. That’s no fun. I’m trying to think of who would be another great guest star to play her new beau. We’ve had so many great ones lately. What do you think?

Drop Dead Diva: Begin Again by Kara Howland

This is very much a case of the dog ate my homework. My notes are at home (and I'm at work) so I'll do a microblog and them come back and flesh it out. Sorry. My mind was not functioning properly this morning...

After Grayson asks Jane to second chair his case she thinks she's finally on the road to getting her soulmate back. But when Grayson shows interest in Vanessa, the attorney they're working the case with, her dreams are dashed. Random question: Since when is the necktie thing Grayson's "tell." Why didn't we see that before he started dating Kim? It was more than obvious by the way Grayson and Vanessa were looking at each other that there was an attraction.

Kim is repping a client who owns a b&b in Santa Barbara that Parker used to take all his conquests too. It's nice to see Kim challenge him into making their relationship something else. She doesn't want to be just another number to him. Oh, and of course she wins her case with Terri's help. Their interaction was great. I like when Terri is more involved in the plot.

Also, Fred's plan to make Stacy jealous completely backfired. I'm just glad Kylie's ex made an appearance and saved Fred from admitting that he was using her. I mean, I don't want to exist in a world where sweet, naive Fred is using people.

Stacy was awesome, as always. I liked that she kind of helped Jane with her case. And it's good that Fred is aware that Stacy isn't waiting around for him. She's currently got a friend with benefits and Fred wasn't happy to hear about it.

Drop Dead Diva: Senti-Mental Journey by Kara Howland

We finally get some great face time with Grayson, learn more about Jane’s estranged parents Elaine and Henry, and discover that Deb didn’t know everything she thought she did about her fiancé.

Grayson has heard about Tony leaving for DC and offers to take her out to lunch. Jane is practically out the door but Terri insists she take a call from the ADA. Jane looks like she’s ready to kill until she hears her mom and in the slammer. And just how did she get that way? She got hot and took her shoes off to dip them into the mall fountain. When the rent-a-cop confronts her, Elaine assaults him. Although there isn’t alcohol in Elaine’s system to explain her behavior there is the presence of an antidepressant. And for good reason. After Elaine’s involuntary psych evaluation she’s diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Because Elaine has a rap sheet – her crimes include shoplifting, trespassing, and arson – and the only way to avoid more jail time is for the judge to release Elaine into Jane’s custody.

Let’s break here for a moment to discuss Rosie O’Donnell, who plays a recurring judge on the show. I can’t even remember the name of her character (I’ll look it up later - Judge Summers!) but I really enjoy her. I’ve been a fan for a while. I watched the Rosie O’Donnell show and loved her. I’ve never watched The View so I don’t know whether or not she was good there. But I heard the ratings went up during her tenure and I’m glad. She’s interesting and I’ve been missing her from my television. Ok, that’s enough of the love fest.

And it is clear that Elaine experiences a lot of manic states – she’s all over the place. Jane asks her father for help, which surprises Terry. Apparently they haven’t spoke for 10 years. I guess Jane was mad enough by her father’s infidelity to shut him out. But he’s glad she’s reaching out now and decides to show up at the doctor’s office. Elaine isn’t happy but there’s really nothing she can do.

When the doctor tells the court of his diagnosis, we find out that Elaine was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 15 years ago. The judge can’t believe Jane didn’t know about this but Elaine hit it from everyone. In fact, it’s the first time she’s even been able to say “bipolar” out loud. She knows Henry never cheated on her but it was easier to blame him for the breakup of her family. The judge gives Elaine an ultimatum – it’s treatment or jail. Henry, still very much in love with his ex-wife, agrees to move back in with Elaine and help her. Case closed. Grayson’s case isn’t so easy and it’s got complications for Jane.

Joan Finer (Kellie Martin Life Goes On, who does not get enough screen time in my opinion) sneaks past reception to get a meeting with Grayson. She’s been turned down by every other lawyer she’s talked to do she really needs his help. She’s a teacher and she invested all her money with Max Adams, who was running a ponzi scheme. She wants her money back and she’s prepared to fight. No one – not Kim, not Jane, not Parker – realized how deeply invested Grayson is in this case. I mean, he’s so snappish. Not cute. But we find out that his parent’s marriage broke up after his father made bad investments. Jane is confused because his parent’s are still together. It turns out the man Grayson calls his father is his stepfather. Even worse, Deb never knew that.

Grayson only manages to keep his job (after being told multiple times by Parker to drop the case) because Parker’s impressed. The firm that represents Max Adams often sends business to Parker. Even though they weren’t happy Grayson stayed on the case they’re impressed with how Grayson won it. And I’m glad to say the trophy girlfriend ended up being more interesting then I thought she’d be. I thought she’d just be some ditzy chic who’s interested in nothing but money. But maybe she’s just a gold digger with a brain. Even though she did the right think in the end, I can’t see her as a good person. She’s protecting her investment.

And speaking of someone who might need protecting, let’s talk Fred. Wow. I know he doesn’t have much experience with women in the planet earth but I am surprised he messed up so royally. We all know his soul mate is Stacy. We all know she’s unavailable to him. I was happy to see him have a connection with someone else and even more excited to see where it would go. But let’s back up.

Once again, Fred is late to work. Kim is pissed but he’s distracted when he sees Parker emerge from her office. Then when Fred comments about the lipstick on his face, Fred’s earlier suspicions about those two are confirmed. Kim knows he’ll keep her secret but tells him to get a car. The only problem is that there’s no driving in heaven, so Fred can’t get a license. He enlists Terri to help him with driving lessons but gets pulled over by officer Jocelyn. She asks him out for drinks. Fred gets excited and even buys a new shirt. When she shows up to pick him up they don’t even make it out the door before Fred admits he’s in love with another woman. Suffice it to say there’s no date. Smooth Fred. Smooth. Now, if Fred were actually making a play for Stacy instead of pining after her I’d say good job. But until and unless he puts himself out there with Stacy he’s going to go through this life without his soul mate. I’d like to see him try to get her. I’m on board with any additional face time they want to give Stacy. She is hilarious.

But back to the serious stuff for a second. I think it’s very interesting that there is something Jane knows about Grayson that Deb never did. He isn’t the type to keep secrets – or at least we didn’t think he was – but this one is big. He should have told Deb. And Jane was right to be confused and surprised that he would keep a secret like this. Perhaps she’s questioning just how much she actually knew the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

And on that serious note, what did you think of this week’s episode? I liked that is was more serious this week with less laugh out loud moments. Stacy was funny though. She’s great comic relief.

Drop Dead Diva: Home & Away by Kara Howland

Jane’s memories of Deb help Grayson’s case, Terri gets way more screen time – and a great storyline, and something is going on between Kim and Parker.

I don’t know about you but I am not that happy about this Kim and Parker development. I don’t think I’m the only one holding out hope that Parker and Ricki Lake’s Susan would become something, am I? I mean, I do understand that it’s easier (and probably cheaper for the production budget) to get two regular characters to hook up but does it have to be these two? I like Kim bitchy and bitter and if she actually finds happiness with Parker (which would be a miracle) I just don’t know where we’d be. Since I brought them up let’s look a little closer.

We know Kim and Parker shared a drink at the end of last week’s episode. And we know something is going on because Parker brings Kim a coffee in the morning. My first reaction – and I even wrote this down in my notes – was that they slept together. And I was so happy when that turned out not to be the case but quite frankly, I think it’s just a matter of time before that happens. The coffee sparked Fred’s curiosity which led him to introduce himself to Parker’s executive assistant David. David, the soul of discretion, refused to give Fred the lowdown. In the meantime, David and Fred become fast friends. Jane warns Fred that David is gay and is possibly making a move but David is committed and just wants to be friends. Fred’s whole “you can’t tell just by looking at someone” attitude makes me laugh. I admit that I have very faulty gaydar but his naïveté is interesting considering his previous job. I love him anyway.

We got a little more facetime with Grayson this week which has been sorely overdue. He and Kim are tag-teaming on an assault and battery case. Having just served as a juror on an assault case, I feel my expertise and insight will be especially helpful here. I’m totally kidding. I did learn a lot during my jury tenure though and I hope if you’re ever called, you will serve. End of lesson. Back to show. Helen is accused of assault and battery after she punches the coach of her little girl’s basketball team. The charter of the team states that everyone plays regardless of ability.

Even though Helen doesn’t think she hit the coach that hard he’s wearing a neck brace and his x-rays show damage to his neck. During the first meeting the coach keeps looking at a picture of Deb. It turns out Jane knows him as Aspen Jack. Deb dated him before she met Grayson and he’s not such a nice guy. She didn’t learn until later that he was married with two kids while they dated. And during their vacation in Aspen, Jack was served up a helping of karmic justice when he got hurt on the slopes and ended up in a neckbrace.

Stacey is sent on a mission to recover the incriminating picture from Deb’s scrapbook, which happens to be in Grayson’s house. Now that Grayson is moving Jane is worried he might find the picture. She strategically cuts Deb out of the picture and makes sure it gets into Grayson’s hands. They use it to prove that the damage was preexisting. I hope Aspen Jack is ashamed of himself. I know there are a lot of people out there who take advantage of people but I’m glad he doesn’t get away with it. Oh, and Grayson decides not to move.

And what’s going on with our Jane this week, you ask? She and Tony are in a sex haze. Well, not so much a haze as a happy place. They’re finally on track and making things work. That whole cauliflower thing is adorable. Leave it to Terri to coitus interruptus – but it turns out to be for a very good cause and I’m happy we get more Terri facetime this week as well. Terri and her cousin Edward are in the slammer. Terri has what must be an astounding number of unpaid parking tickets. Edward comes to her defense and they’re both thrown in jail. To make a long – and somewhat convoluted – story short, Edward is in the country on a tourist visa and he’s being deported back to South Korea immediately.

If Terri and her mom can find out the identity of Edward’s father they should be able to keep him in the country. All they have to go on is a photo of Edward’s father is his military fatigues. But there’s something fishy here. Terri’s mom seems skittish and not very helpful and we soon learn why. Edward’s real father is North Korean and that’s what they use to keep him in the country. Jane argues for asylum and the judge is able to countermand her earlier ruling to keep Edward in the country.

And what else is going on with our Jane, you ask? She and Tony are having sexy time as I mentioned. Apparently I’m so happy about it I had to mention it twice. Tony is in a good place because he got that job as an assistant US Attorney that he wanted and he and Jane finally seem to be in sync. I thought the show might make a bigger deal out of Jane having sex in her new body for the first time but I’m kind of glad they didn’t. But I think we all know a happy Jane isn’t a Jane we’re used to seeing. Tony finds out the department of Justice wants to relocate him to Washington DC. And I know I’m not the only one who was surprised and pleased when he asked Jane to go with him. It was such a lovely gesture and I think it proves how right Tony is for Jane in so many ways. But Jane feels like she’s not done with Los Angeles yet. And if she moved to DC that would be the end of her and Grayson. Even though Jane says she’s moved on her little what-if chat with Parker proves she still holds out some hope on that front. And I do too.

I’ll see you in two weeks. Have a great 4th of July! Oh, and if you’re in Los Angeles check out this upcoming Drop Dead Diva event.

Drop Dead Diva: Back From the Dead by Kara Howland

Ok, I have to admit something. Last week’s preview of tonight’s show scared me. I didn’t want to believe Tony was a cheater. I know, I know he and Jane are taking things slow and of course they haven’t had the “exclusive” talk yet. But, still. Tony just didn’t seem like the type of person to do that to Jane. So imagine my surprise – and relief – when the situation turned out to be a lot more innocent than it seemed. And a lot more serious. I can’t believe this is the end of Tony and Jane!

So, just who is Tony’s sexy mystery date at the restaurant and why isn’t he returning Jane’s calls? I love how Jane compares her dating life now with her dating life as Deb but I’m not sure it’s an accurate comparison. Every woman I know – fat, skinny, ugly, pretty – has waited by the phone for a guy to call or been stood up. I think it’s interesting that Deb never seemed to go through any of the trouble us regular girls do. So, maybe it really is a good thing she’s come back in Jane’s body to see what it is to struggle and second guess yourself. We all go through moments of self-doubt and confusion and Jane certainly does after she sees Deb randomly pop up a few times.

It turns out that Deb’s birthday is right around the corner and Jane forgot about it. She wants to celebrate it with her bestie, but Stacy already has plans. Grayson has invited a small group of her closest friends to celebrate Jane’s life. They’re moving on even though their lives are a little less sparkly. It’s a very touching gesture and just proves again how thoughtful Grayson is. Speaking of which, I don’t feel like we’ve been seeing enough of Grayson lately. I want more! Don’t you?

I do appreciate that we see a little more of Parker this week. When he sees Kim is taking on a new client, who also happens to be his “invisible wingman,” Parker is more than happy to sit in on that meeting. When it turns out that Jonathan Noble is just the penname for Susan Sembly they are both surprised. It turns out Susan could make more money, get more assignments, and have more respect as a guy. She paid an actor for his headshot and now he’s taken over the character. He’s even gone so far as to legally change his name. With this guy threatening her livelihood, Susan outs herself on Jonathan’s blog. And it turns out her higher ups are delighted because the reader response has been great. But I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Susan. She would be such a great challenge – and foil – for Parker.

Before I get to Jane’s case-of-the-week let’s briefly catch up with Kim. I really enjoy her adversarial relationship with Fred this week. We all know Fred needs a job and when Kim mistakenly assumes he’s her new temp, she really puts him through the ringer. She throws new assignments at him left and right and tries to trick him. But as Fred’s already been a desk jockey for the man upstairs, there isn’t much he can’t handle. After Fred calls Kim out, she seems to realize she’s found the perfect assistant and offers him a permanent position. Jane’s not happy Fred is working for her sworn enemy but Fred admits he took the job because he can look after Jane better from the office. And that, after all, is his real job.

And speaking of Jane, her simple declaration of death case turns into something much bigger after Daniel Porter turns up alive. Not only did he survive the plane crash nine years ago but he’s been living as Tim Smith ever since. His mother, believing he’s still alive, has been taking out ads in local papers and that seemed to snap Daniel out of his fugue state. He had no idea who he was until it all came rushing back. To make it worse, his wife Lindsay has moved on with his best friend and is trying to adopt his son Noah. Even though Daniel has never met Noah he’s fighting for joint custody so he can get to know his son. During the course of the trial Lindsay’s lawyer tries to make Daniel out as an unfit parent. Just before the judge is set to rule Daniel and his mother disappear. Jane tracks them down at the bus station, where Daniel admits he’s experienced a fugue state before. When he was ten, he didn’t know who he was for 3 days. He just doesn’t know if he can do that to his son. If he’s going to be in his life Daniel really wants to be there. If there’s a chance he’ll disappear again Daniel figures its better not to get to know his son.

I found this week’s case to be very moving. And I’m not saying fighting for a child’s life (last week’s case) is less dramatic but because this case is so closely connected to what Jane’s going through I really felt invested. At first, I was getting very upset that Lindsay would try to keep Daniel away from his child. And I couldn’t help thinking that they’d be at a loss to explain their actions and decisions to Noah once he’s old enough to start asking questions. I do like the way the case ended. Life isn’t always black and white and I appreciate an ambiguous ending. I can’t know what’s right for that family and I have to respect the choices they make for themselves. I can be sad for Daniel though. I can’t imagine living with the possibility of losing all my memories and sense of self.

Enough with the heavy, here are a few quotes from this week that made me laugh:

“The second message robs you of your power.”

“Pleated pants kill romance.”

What did you think about this week’s episode? Do you think Jane and Tony are really over? Will Parker try to make something work with Susan? When will we get some more back story on Teri? I’ll see you next week.